Chapter 134 The naive era is over! 46
Although Wei Sheng Jiujiu usually speaks in long sentences when participating in serious meetings, Liu Bang still suspected that he was subtly criticizing him at this moment.
Zhu Qing'ai couldn't help but glance at Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu, feeling a bit like her own child had gone astray. The host had even learned to subtly criticize others; he was no longer the innocent person (system). Truly... a cause for celebration!
There was a subtle curve to her lips. Sure enough, it's the kind of person like Jiujiu who is the hardest to detect when she's being sarcastic, because no one thinks that such an aloof beauty would be sarcastic; they just think it might be their imagination.
Liu Bang thought so too, but he had no evidence. Moreover, when he looked at Wei Sheng Jiujiu with suspicion, he could only see his aloof and calm expression, as detached and unperturbed as a celestial being.
Considering that this talented person only loved farming and had no interest in becoming an official, Liu Bang decided to tolerate the subtle criticism. What's wrong with letting such a talented person have his way?
"Perhaps you caught a chill from the wind while traveling yesterday. Ninety-nine, let's talk about that accidental drug you mentioned. How toxic is it? How long does it take to take effect? And how many can you make right now?"
"...Gunpowder is indeed poisonous," actually Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu was also a bit confused, and had to admit that gunpowder was indeed poisonous, but this poison wasn't used like this! "But it only causes poisoning after it is ingested."
Spreading it in the wind to poison enemies—what an imaginative use!
"Gunpowder isn't used like that. I originally planned to use it for clearing land and farming."
This is pure nonsense, but since Liu Bang and his men had never heard of gunpowder, he could make up whatever he wanted.
"Its performance is quite good. It can blast up the boulders that are difficult to remove in the wasteland, making it much easier for people to transport them away, thus reducing the difficulty of land reclamation."
When talking about his job, Weisheng Jiujiu even provided specific data: "Based on the raw materials I've collected in various counties along the way, if used for land reclamation, we can increase the amount of land by 30% next year, and then improve the soil quality..."
Seeing that Wei Sheng Jiujiu was about to continue speaking and share his farming experience with them, Liu Bang quickly interrupted him: "Farming is indeed of paramount importance, but the current situation is urgent. More importantly, what if Xiang Yu comes and drives us out of Xianyang City?"
Liu Bang's words were somewhat euphemistic; everyone present knew that being driven out of Xianyang was tantamount to losing one's life.
"So, it would be better to discuss how to use this gunpowder on them."
"If it can break rocks, can it also be used as a weapon against people?"
"Yes, if even boulders can be crushed, then surely humans can too..."
"I wonder how much gunpowder Mr. Weisheng has left, and how much more can be made?"
A barrage of questions came at once, and it wasn't just Liu Bang who was curious about this; everyone else was also very curious.
However, even with this attitude, they did not entirely believe what Wei Sheng Jiu Jiu said.
Seeing is believing, so Fan Kuai couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Weisheng, do you have any gunpowder with you? Could you please show it to me?"
Fan Kuai addressed him as "Sir" fluently, even though this term is generally used to address older, learned people. But that didn't matter; Wei Sheng was ninety-nine years old and had a wealth of knowledge, so age was no longer an issue.
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu originally agreed to help protect Xianyang City, but since the gunpowder test could not be conducted indoors, everyone went outdoors.
Wei Sheng Jiujiu asked Liu Bang to send someone to his room to fetch a conspicuous and heavy wooden box. After looking around, he chose the garden near the palace.
Liu Bang nodded in satisfaction, not finding anything wrong with Wei Sheng Jiujiu's actions. On the contrary, he felt that the other party trusted him a lot, and this behavior also showed that the other party hoped that he would trust him in return.
He instructed the two men following behind him to go down and bring the box over, and then led everyone on a tour of his future residence in the palace.
As expected of the place where the emperor once lived, the buildings were tall and magnificent, and the ground was flat and clean, which was incomparable to the roads in the cities of other prefectures and counties.
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Because the royal palace buildings are all built on high platforms, and are built layer by layer, with the central palace being a multi-story building, finding this flower garden was not easy.
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu deliberately led them down to the first floor, stopping only when there was no lower building beneath their feet.
It would be ridiculous if the gunpowder test detonated and blew through the second floor of Xianyang Palace.
The soil in the flowerbed is soft enough not to damage the nearby buildings.
Moreover, this matter is currently kept secret and should not be known by too many people, so no one suggested moving the location from the palace.
Liu Bang then dismissed the surrounding servants and maids. Such an empty and deserted place was hard to find, and suddenly changing locations might attract the attention of the people in the city.
Just in case, he wanted to be careful not to let the news leak out, so he decided not to move the group of people to a different location.
Qin Ziying followed the people out in a daze and saw a group of people standing in front of the garden that once belonged to him.
No, what are these people planning to do to his former garden?
He thought he just heard something about rubble...
Xianyang Palace won't just disappear like that..., will it...?
Qin Ziying wanted to cover her chest; sometimes, living alone in this world can feel so helpless.
Qin Ziying stared at the small flower garden, which used to be his hobby. While he was debating whether to suggest moving the flowers first, several people came over carrying boxes, followed by others carrying some tools.
Zhu Qing'ai suddenly sent a private message to Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu: [System Zhu Qing'ai: Move these flowers and plants away first.]
She felt that Qin Ziying was about to cry; she was indeed too kind.
Without asking why, Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu instructed the people carrying the boxes to use their tools to move all the precious flowers and plants away.
He cleared a small space and took his tools out of the wooden box, which he no longer intended to keep.
He prepared a small, appropriately sized gunpowder pack, and Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu put it into a wooden box, leaving only the fuse outside.
"The rest of you should retreat, it would be best..." Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu scanned the surroundings, using his eyes as a ruler, and immediately judged the approximate safe area, "Go stand under the corridor over there, it's safer there."
No one present was willing to risk their lives. After hearing his words, they all planned to walk towards the corridor, but Liu Bang did not move, so they could not go directly over.
Liu Bang wanted to leave, but he still remembered Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu, a talent he cherished, and had no intention of leaving!
"And you, why are you still here?"
The people around Liu Bang didn't show any obvious expressions, but the few people behind him, whom he couldn't see, were a bit speechless. They hadn't moved at all.
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu looked around at everyone before saying, "No one here knows how to use gunpowder except me, so of course I can't retreat. But Marquis Wu An can rest assured that there will be no danger."
Liu Bang... believed it. There was nothing he could do but believe it. He was curious to see why such a small package was worth such caution.
Liu Bang led the group towards the back corridor, leaving only Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu and Zhu Qing Ai Yi Tong standing in place. One of them was about to ignite the gunpowder, while the other was a pure projection with immunity to physical damage, so they stood arrogantly in place.
Seeing that the person was walking straight toward the covered wooden box, Zhu Qing'ai immediately sent a private message.
[System·Zhu Qing'ai: Wait, you're not thinking of just starting a fire, are you?]
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu paused in his actions, pretending to select from the pile of tools he had taken out, but in reality, he was replying to Zhu Qing Ai's private message.
[Host, Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu: Is it unspeakable? I have a flint; if all else fails, I can turn my back to them and light it with a lighter.]
[System·Zhu Qing'ai: That's not what I meant. Didn't you even consider whether you had enough time to escape?]
This isn't fireworks...
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu thought about it for a moment. In fact, he had thought about it. At his speed, such a long fuse was enough for him to run back and forth to the corridor.
However... it feels really good to be cared for. Even people who are prone to change can't help but immerse themselves in this comforting feeling.
Although strictly speaking it was a series of changes caused by neurotransmitter dopamine, he felt that he could occasionally throw away his intelligence and act like a fool for Qing'ai.
So Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu replied with: 【So what should I do?】
He's an idiot, so... let's show him some more concern...
With a casual glance, Zhu Qing'ai could spot Yang Sui lying among the many tools. For a moment, she didn't know whether to suspect that her host's IQ had declined or that his knowledge had become narrower.
The system has changed, so it's normal that people don't know about the database. Zhu Qing'ai convinced herself to patiently send guidance to Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu.
[System·Zhu Qing'ai: There's something that looks like a bronze mirror among those items, did you see it? You used that to focus sunlight and then refract it onto flammable material, right? You should have flammable material, shouldn't you?]
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu gave a soft "hmm". Since Liu Bang and the others were far away, he didn't have to speak to avoid being discovered talking to someone.
Of course I saw it. That was the one he found when he passed by the residence of a county magistrate. He thought it would be useful, so he took it with him.
He took a flammable material and placed it on the fuse. Then he took out the fire starter from a pile of tools, glanced at the bright sunlight in the sky, and although the weather was cold, it was almost noon, so the fire starter would not be unusable.
The fire-starting tool in his hand was actually a kind of fire-starting tool. The back was engraved with intricate patterns, while the front resembled a bronze mirror. However, it was thin in the middle and thick at the edges, which could focus sunlight and refract it onto flammable materials, making it relatively convenient for starting a fire.
Ordinary people couldn't afford such things; only royalty and nobility could.
He chose a good angle, placed the fire-sparkler, and then stepped back at Zhu Qing'ai's urging.
[System·Zhu Qing'ai: You're a human now, why are you still acting like a puppet? Did you think gunpowder wouldn't hurt you?]
Weisheng Jiujiu chose to admit his mistake and made a guarantee.
[Host, Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu: I know I was wrong, I won't do it again next time.]
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu stood under the corridor, with Liu Bang and the others, quietly waiting for the fuse to be lit. His fingertips twitched slightly, his reckless heart stirring with desire.
But soon, a documentary he had seen showcasing the most baffling human behaviors taught him that this way of attracting attention was incredibly childish and could be abandoned immediately.
The fuse was lit on site, and no one was adjusting the angle yet. It took a little while, but not long, before it ignited.
After a few more breaths, a scene everyone would never forget unfolded: the solid wood box was blown into the sky...
Blowing it into the sky might be an exaggeration, but the power it possesses is certainly incredibly exciting!
Liu Bang had only one thought in his mind. He looked at Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu: No, what did you want to use this for before?
Use this to clear the land?
What a waste!
Don't think about farming all the time!
Liu Bang excitedly asked Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu, "Is this the only time something like this has happened?"
Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu nodded naturally. He only put in one explosive charge, so of course it would only explode once. Otherwise, how could it explode twice out of thin air?
Liu Bang excitedly grasped Wei Sheng Jiujiu's hand, momentarily speechless, and only said, "I will give you a great credit!"
After calming down, he added, "But we still need to find a way to use it on the battlefield; this method of ignition is a bit..."
He thought he knew the reason for not using the palace's readily available open flames: it must be because it was inconvenient to escape. If using them would mean sending someone to their death every time, he would have to select some passionate and willing people to die, and he couldn't just choose anyone.
After all, gunpowder is so powerful. According to what Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu said before, the explosive charge could be made even bigger. It wouldn't be good to just let someone carry it around.
After much thought, I decided that defending the city was the best course of action. I just lit the fire and threw it down from the city walls, but I had to throw it far enough so that I wouldn't accidentally blow the city gates open.
He paced back and forth, muttering to himself, "Actually, you could throw it down and then ignite it with a rocket-propelled arrow, but that would require an archer with exceptional archery skills..."
Liu Bang asked Wei Sheng if he was ninety-nine years old, and the rest of the people recovered from their shock.
Zhang Liang was momentarily astonished and doubtful: "Is this really not a divine intervention?"
Since there are national spirits, why can't there be gods?
Even though Liu Bang wasn't particularly interested in immortals or the like, he still asked Wei Sheng Jiu Shi Jiu out of curiosity, "What is this gunpowder...?"
He stopped halfway through his question, coughing, "Let's not talk about that. How long will it take for all the things we brought to turn into gunpowder?"
Wei Sheng Jiujiu did not answer Liu Bang's second question. Was he being treated like a machine? If he hadn't accumulated enough along the way, he wouldn't have dared to say that he could finish grinding all these materials.
"Actually, it's okay to say it. It's not a magic trick, it's a chemical trick."
Zhang Liang: "Chemistry? I've never heard of that before."
"The explosive principle of gunpowder is based on the chemical reaction between its components. When gunpowder is ignited, saltpeter first decomposes to produce oxygen and nitrogen, while releasing a large amount of heat energy...*1"
I can't understand it at all. I can't understand it from the very beginning of the chemical reaction.
Liu Bang thought to himself, "No wonder he can talk about it so casually. No one present could understand it, so naturally he wasn't afraid of the gunpowder secret being leaked."
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Author's note: *1 is from Baidu Baike!
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